Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Cereal Killers

I remember a time when cereal was just cereal, we ate it and then we looked forward to lunch.

Cereal didn't think that it was special, it knew its place. Occasionally a cereal would try to assert itself in the market, but other cereals would soon slap it back down into place.

Then as time moved on, people began to realise that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Cereal sat back and smiled, it knew that its time had come.

Healthy cereal, chocolate cereal, nutty cereal, all the different types of cereal you could think of.

BOOM the market went wild.

Companies started to think that they could tap into other markets.

Instead of just being something we ate in the morning while half asleep inbetween mainlining coffee. (Just me?) cereal tapped into the diet market.

But in a gentle and soft way. No pressure, cereal was there to HELP us.

We were introduced to the world of Special K......................

(Have you guessed where I'm going with this?)

If we ate Special K we would become svelte and look amazing.

Now I've eaten Special K and it tastes like hamster food. But like most people on a diet I have been willing to persevere for the sake of a healthier and fitter body.

Special K has always in the past been seen as there to "help" women. It was like a comforting supportive friend, one that knew we had packed on the pounds a bit (ok, a lot) and wanted to help us, be with us every step of the way and show us how we could look at the end. See, Supportive.

And then we come to their latest delightful advertising campaign.

This is the Kellogs Special K, Dare to Wear Red campaign.

Well excuse me Special K, but if I want to wear red, I bloody well will, without shame or worry that I'm going to offend someones eyes.

I don't have to be thin to wear red.

Special K has turned from the nice comforting supportive friend, to that sneering frenemy bitch who tells you at least you don't have to worry about wrinkles yet as fat people always look younger(You know the one?)

And do you know what I did to the last frenemy in my life? I cut them out of my life without a backwards glance.

See ya.

And that is what I am going to do with Kellogs and their not so Special K hamster food.

I refuse to be sneered at if I wear red. I love red. Red is a sexy, sultry colour that women should wear whatever their size. Colours are not sizest. Colours are designed to make us feel better not worse!!! From red lipstick to red underwear or even a red dress. If you want to wear it, bloody well wear it.

Personally I think that Kellogs have scored an own goal with this campaign.

We don't want to be judged, especially by a cereal company.

But if they are going to judge us, then maybe we as consumers should judge them, by witholding our cash.

Is it just me, or do these supposedly formerly heffer like women in their crappy ads look like they've never weighed more than 9 stone in their lives? They look the type to eat a lettuce leaf and declare themselves full.

And surely the worst possible diet you could do is to eat two bowls of the same saw dust tasting cereal per day for a fortnight? That'd have me reaching for the largest cream cake within two days I could find. Its a much better idea to exercise portion control and eat more fruit and veg rather than their oh so clever idea. The only clever part being that you buy shed loads of their nasty tasting cereal.

The whole cereal market makes me cross, not just Sawdust K. The whole thing is a marketing triumph from beginning to end. Cereal was THE original convenience food - it's been a downhill slope since its conception. And don't get me started on the puddings that masquerade as cereal. If you want to eat pudding for breakfast fine, but at least be honest about it and don’t dress it up as a ‘healthy cereal’.

I actually don't mind the taste of Special K, but I've only tried the chocolate version of it. Have you ever weighed out the amount it recommends you eat though? It's barely enough to take a hamster through til lunch, never mind me! I'll stick to the Shreddies - with warm milk and topped with sugar.

Oh yes Kellie...I hate the smug Special K Dare To Wear Red campaign too. Cereal is actually not particularly healthy to scoff at breakfast anyway, and as everyone here as said...there are way better tasting hamster food than sodding Special K. Special Kack!

I could have easily have written this rant myself, because Special K's new ad campaign has annoyed me soooo much too! Its a cereal for godsakes, do they not realise that unless you eat it morning, noon and night like they try to encourage you to do (which fyi, I know someone that got really, really ill doing that one January so wont be doing that!), its not going to perform miracles if you chose to eat whatever you fancy the rest of the day.

Red is the colour of passion, romance, to wear it signifies that you're confident. I didnt wear red for a long period time because I felt unworthy to wear such a colour, so it makes me so mad that essentially all Kellogs are doing is pushing people to wear it even less.

I don’ think Kellogg’s are saying to have to be thin to wear red or that if you’re not thin that you may offend someone eyes by wearing red.

Many women (and men) lack confidence and suffer from low self-esteem; not all granted, but some at least. This campaign is reaching out to those people. I think, that as the leading cereal company that Kellogg’s have a responsibility to its customers and the public to try and encourage healthy eating and offer information to educated people who may be feeling a little lost on the overwhelming world of diet plans and fitness regimes. Kellogg’s size and position allows it to reach out to vast numbers of people and has the expertise to educate us. We are after all the unhealthiest nation in Europe with an obesity crisis.

No campaign is ever going to appeal to everyone. Red IS a colour that makes you feel sexy and stand out from the crowd is that the point that Special K is making? That more women, no matter what shape or size should feel more empowered and proud and want to shine out. I really don’t think that Kellogg’s can be criticised for offering a service which could help reduce the health problems that this country has.

Due to increased spam comments I am now having to moderate the comments I receive. I will do my best to get them approved quickly so please, carry on commenting as every time you comment a kitten smiles.